1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to pallets and containers and, more specifically, to an improved corrugated pallet and container construction for use with a forklift truck or jack truck.
2) Related Art
Containers connected to or placed upon pallets are commonly used to transport items. Forklift or jack trucks move the pallets and containers, and it is necessary that the containers fit squarely on the pallets. A typical construction includes a wooden pallet with a portion of the container nailed or stapled to the upper deck of the pallet. Assembly of the pallet and container is usually time consuming and awkward. The wooden pallets, although strong and easily stackable, are heavy and bulky, relatively expensive, and a problem to transport or recycle after use. Replacing a container when the original is worn or otherwise damaged is also very difficult.
Various designs for non-wood pallets and non-wood palletized container systems have been proposed in the past, examples of which are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,587,479; 3,940,101; 4,863,024; and 4,979,446. Most of the non-wood pallets have suffered from one or more serious shortcomings. Some have very complicated construction and often are expensive and difficult to set up. Non-wood pallets are often not very strong and are particularly susceptible to sideways movements which can collapse the runners or actually separate a runner from the remainder of the pallet and container system. If a lift truck fork happens to contact one or more of the runners at a wrong angle or with too much force, the pallet can collapse or otherwise be damaged to the point it is unusable. Some palletized containers with non-wood pallets cannot be stacked as conveniently and securely as those with wooden pallets, and therefore the payloads often have to be reduced. A few of the container systems with non-wood pallets which were adequate for use with forklift trucks proved to be unsatisfactory for jack trucks which have wheels or rollers at the end of the forks for stabilization.